Warriors: The Next Generation
NOTE: This takes place BEFORE The Last Hope. This means that cats like Spottedleaf and other cats are still alive in Starclan. The Place of No Stars caused the death of all of the clans. Prologue The moon and stars were high in the sky. In the stars sat a blue-grey cat, a ginger cat, and a grey cat. They loomed over a tree sapling, which would soon grow big and strong. "This better work," the ginger cat meowed. "The five clans can't be lost forever." "They won't be, Firestar," the blue-grey cat replied, confidence in her voice. "The five clans will always come back, no matter what hardships they go through." "Bluestar is right, Firestar," the grey cat agreed. "The five clans will never be gone forever." Firestar touched his nose to the little sapling. "I hope you're right, Greystripe. After that storm, it seems like the clans will never come back. But we've got to stay positive, right?" Suddenly, the sapling started glowing. "The Moontree!" the three cats yowled in unison. "It has a prophecy for us!" The cats closed their eyes as the Moontree glowed brighter and brighter. "Fire, water, grass, lightning, and ice will come together..." Bluestar murmured. "And the forest will be bright once again!" Firestar said. "But..." Greystripe meowed. "What could it mean?" Bluestar opened her eyes slowly as she smiled. I know, she thought to herself, but I'll let nature take its course and show you itself. Chapter 1 "Hey, Pudding! You gonna become a forest cat?" Pudding rolled over onto her side. "Go away," she grumbled. Pudding had never been like her sisters. She was grey, yellow-eyed and snub-nosed, unlike her perfect, blue-eyed, snow white sisters. She had always had forest blood running through her veins, the urge to go outside and kill a mouse, whereas her sisters were always pampered by their owners. "But Pudding," Snowy, Pudding's older sister meowed. "We have to set you straight. You can't be going around being a ruffian! That's yucky!" "The food here is yucky!" Pudding retorted, her brown tail puffed up with anger. "Not as yucky as a mouse!" Cinderella, Pudding's younger sister replied. "That's it!" Pudding yowled. "I've had enough of this stupid place! I want to go outside and feel the wind in my fur, so that's what I'm doing!" And so, Pudding seized the chance she had, and bolted out through the dog-door, fury burning in her soul. What was so wrong with being a forest cat? With each angry step she took, she thought of the forest and her love for it, and her steps slowed as she calmed down. But then, adrenaline pumped through Pudding's heart as she smelled something disgusting in the air. Oh no! ''Pudding thought. ''A dog! Anxiety overtook Pudding's brain as she ran away from a massive, drool-emitting dog. The dog growled and barked as Pudding ran. Pudding felt herself slow down out of exhaustion. Pudding's life flashed before her eyes as the stray dog grew closer and closer. The dog sunk its teeth into one of Pudding's ears, and she yowled out of pain. "Help me!" she screeched desperately. "Somebody!" Pudding her right ear tear, and she was slowly filled with hopelessness. Oh no... ''She thought. ''I'm going to die here... But instead of death, Pudding was greeted by a skinny figure. She felt the extra weight on her fall off as a dark blue-grey tabby knocked the drooling dog off its feet. The dog whimpered, and ran away. It had seemed like the dog had met this cat before. "Wow, thank you!" Pudding meowed in admiration. "Who are you?" "I'm Torrent," Torrent replied. "And you're welcome. But we can't stay and chat, I need to bring you home." Pudding was saddened, but then she thought of an idea. "Wait!" she meowed. "What?" Torrent responded, her ears pricking up. "I'm not some house cat," Pudding meowed. She struggled to rip off her pink collar with blue stripes, and it took her a few moments to tear it off. "I'm a forest cat now!" Torrent snickered. "Alright, fine," she declared. "I'd like some company." "Yay!" Pudding said breezily. "But you're going to have to have a new name," Torrent told Pudding. "Double yay!" Pudding shouted. "I've always loved everything about fire, how it looks so pretty, but can tear through everything in its path, so can my name be Flame?" "Of course," Torrent meowed. "I think it suits you." And with that, Flame's life would change forever. Chapter 2 "Flame, oh Flame. Wake up." "I said, WAKE UP!" Flame sprung to her feet, her fur puffed up like a cloud. "What, Torrent?" Flame yowled. But this wasn't Torrent's smooth, soothing voice. The voice was raspy, like the sound of claws on a rock. Flame looked at the cat in front of her. It was like looking straight at her reflection. Then, Flame realized that she wasn't looking at Torrent, this was a completely different cat! "Who are you?!" Flame shrieked. "Where am I?!" "I'm Yellowfang," the grey, snub-nosed cat said. "And you're in Starclan right now, where all of your distant ancestors live. I've brought you here to give you a message." "Distant ancestors?" Flame asked, confused. "Yes, there were forest cats before you and Torrent," Yellowfang answered. "Oh, cool!" Flame meowed. "Now, what do you have to tell me?" "Flame..." Yellowfang said. "You need to find three cats. Two forest cats, and one kittypet. Do you know what that is, Flame? A house cat. They hold the power to unlocking the stars." "Wait, why?" Flame asked. "You ask too many questions, however this is the only one I don't have an answer for," Yellowfang grumbled. Look, a cat here named Bluestar told me to do this, and I did it. Goodbye, Flame." "Flame!" Torrent yowled. "AAH! What now?!" Flame yelped, springing to her feet. This time, she wasn't in Starclan, but much rather the comfort of her nest. "Oh, thank goodness you're okay!" Torrent meowed. "I thought that you had died in your sleep!" "Uhh..." Flame said, flattered that a cat like Torrent would care about her, even if she did probably have better things to do than worry about some kittypet that she found in the woods. "Ehem," Torrent cleared her throat. "Anyway, I need to hunt. Want to come with me?" "Yes!" Flame meowed blissfully. "I mean, yeah, sure." And, as Flame walked away from her den with Torrent, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about herself. As if she had more of a destiny other than just being a forest cat. And she was right. Chapter 3 "Urgh..." Flame groaned as she felt a paw rub her shoulder. She looked up to see a grey cat with a darker stripe running from his forehead to his tail looming over her. Everything around her looked starry. Flame was in Starclan again. "Flame," the grey cat said. "You have already found the water, but the lightning will come during the storm!" Flame slowly opened her eyes to the forest. Surprisingly, it was still the middle of the night. Flame looked at the stars, which gleamed brightly in the pitch black night sky. Flame felt comforted by the night, as she knew her ancestors were watching over her. Flame curled back into her nest, reassured that everything was going to be okay. But then, Flame heard the sound of rain. Each second, the sound grew stronger, and stronger, until... BOOM! Flame shrieked. Oh, Starclan! ''She thought. ''A storm! Flame heard footsteps heading toward her den. It was Torrent. "Flame, we need to leave!" Torrent yowled. "This storm could turn into a flood!" "Sure thing, Torrent!" Flame replied. "Follow me, to a safe place!" Torrent meowed. Torrent padded away, and Flame tagged along. Flame clenched her teeth as the rain wet her fur. The feeling of the fur weighing down heavily in her fur felt horrible. She would rather die than have her fur wet, but she didn't want to make Torrent worried. Making Torrent worried seemed worse to Flame than having her fur wet. The swirling thoughts in Flame's head, the prophecies, the storm, her wet fur, and Torrent, all made Flame so distracted. Flame's bones ached from having to walk so far. She felt so...so...tired...so...dizzy... And then, Flame's world went black. Chapter 4 "FLAME!!!!" "I'm okay! I'm okay!" Flame yelped, horrified by the new, loud voice. "Oh my Starclan, you're awake!" the voice, who was actually a grey cat who looked just like the cat Flame had seen in her dream, meowed loudly. "Torrent has told me so much about you! Aren't you a forest cat too?" "Yes..." Flame said, suspicious of the new cat. "Cool!" the cat rambled on. "I'm Lightning, nice to meet you! Torrent told me that you just kinda...passed out during the storm for some reason. And yeah, it's still storming, but you're safe here in this abandoned barn! If you want, you can catch a mouse or two, they don't bite! Also, did I mention that I'm Lightning? Just making sure!" "Uhh..." Flame mumbled. "Don't worry, he's okay," Torrent said, slinking out from the shadows. "He doesn't live here, and where he does live is really far, so I don't go there much." "Oh, okay," Flame said. Suddenly, Flame heard someone whisper in her ear. Yellowfang! "He's the one," Yellowfang whispered. Flame's eyes widened. "Lightning..." Flame meowed. "Could you come with us?" "Yes! I love hanging out with Torrent!" Lightning replied. "Torrent is-" "Be quiet, or we'll be here forever!" Torrent teased. "Oh...okay!" Lightning meowed, happily as always. And so, the three cats would be taken on an adventure of a lifetime. Chapter 5 Wind brushed through Flame's fur as she walked with Torrent and Lightning to what seemed like nowhere. It was so cold that she expected snow to fall. The clouds seemed like there were gone as the wind blew. A foggy haze settled as Flame, Torrent, and Lightning got closer to where they needed to be. "Lightning..." Torrent meowed with uncertainty. "Are you sure this area has more forest cats?" "Yes! I'm sure of it!" Lightning replied with a smile. "I've heard meowing here, the sound of claws scratching the grass, and I've seen tufts of fur here, so I'm sure!" "But Lightni-" Torrent was about to meow, when... Flame stood still. She couldn't control it. Her world moved slower and slower, and her body tingled with every fur that lay flat. Torrent went to Flame, and yowled something that was incomprehensible to her. Flame couldn't hear anything. Her world became blurry, and everything seemed like it was floating into the sky. Then, Flame collapsed. Her body jerked and convulsed, and her eyes rolled back into her head. But Flame was still awake, and her trapped spirit was horrified. Oh, Starclan... ''She thought to herself. ''Am I going to die? "Not right now, Flame," a ginger Starclan cat purred, walking up to Flame. "Your life has only just begun." "It's your time to find ice in the forest, Flame!" Yellowfang, the grey cat that Flame had seen in her dreams, a blue-grey cat that looked like Torrent, and a tortoiseshell cat yowled. Flame slowly felt herself appear in a starry world, with cats gathered around her. She was in Starclan, again. What's with me visiting Starclan all of the time? ''She questioned in her head. ''And why did I go here while I was AWAKE? "Flame, Flame," Yellowfang meowed. "You're getting closer to the ice. But here's a fair warning; the ice is hard to tame." Then, the cats started disappearing around Flame. "What?" Flame shrieked. "WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, YELLOWFANG?!" "I'm sorry, but not even I know," Yellowfang meowed. "Goodbye, Flame." "FLAME!!" Torrent shrieked like a falcon's call. "WAKE UP!! DON'T DIE ON US!!" "W...wha...?" Flame murmured. "FLAME, OH MY STARCLAN!!" Torrent yowled. "YOU COLLAPSED, AND WERE TREMBLING SO MUCH!! I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO DIE!!" Suddenly, everything became quiet. "I-I'm sorry..." Flame mumbled, still kind of tired. "I didn't mean to-" Suddenly, Flame was filled with suspense as a ginger cat, who looked a lot like the tom she had seen in Starclan, launched for Lightning. Lightning yowled, and kicked the stranger's stomach with his large, grizzly hind legs. Flame knew what to do this time. She launched towards the ginger tom, using what Torrent had taught her, but the ginger cat managed to pin her down onto the marshy ground. "What do you think you're doing on my territory?" the ginger cat hissed as he slashed Flame's face. "L-looking for more forest cats!" Flame yowled. "You see, these cats from Starclan told me to-" "Starclan doesn't exist!" the ginger cat replied. "And I'm not doing what some rogue cats tell me to. I'm a smart, educated forest cat, not a dumb, pampered kittypet!" The ginger cat touched his nose to Flame's fur, and scrunched up his face in disgust. "You smell kind of like a kittypet! Disgusti-" But before the ginger cat could finish, Torrent pounced on him, ripping him away from Flame. "What do you think you're doing?!" "Defending my territory?" the ginger cat retorted. "What else would I be doing?" "Hurting my friends?" Torrent hissed. "Fine, I guess I was," the ginger cat said. "But-" "Tell us," Torrent growled with an icy glare. "Who are you?" "I-I'm Ice," the cat said, his tone a bit nervous. "Okay," Torrent growled. "Now stopping hurting my friends and come with us!" "Anything for- I mean, yeah, okay," Ice meowed. Flame felt relieved to see that the tom would come with her, but also a bit disappointed. Not because he was coming with her, but for a different reason. Flame didn't like the idea of Ice being near Torrent, and she hoped that Ice would just be another tom to her. "You found the ice, Flame," the voice of the tortoiseshell cat Flame had seen in Starclan whispered. "Now you must find the leaves, and then the forest." Two more cats?! ''Flame thought to herself. ''But I thought I was only supposed to find three, not four! Little did she know that it wasn't two more cats that Starclan wanted her to find. Chapter 6 "So wait..." Ice meowed. "The next cat we have to find is a KITTYPET?!" The four cats were back in the abandoned barn. The old scent of cows and horses seemed to overpower the scent of mice and barn owls. The scent was horrid, of course, but none of the cats cared. At least the hay was comfortable. "Yes, Ice!" Lightning replied. "Kittypets aren't that bad, right? Flame started out as a kittypet, and look at her now!" Ice glanced at Flame, her once beautiful and glossy fur now matted and tangled. Ice had left a scar on her left cheek, and the dog that led to Flame meeting Torrent gave her a nick in her right ear. Her yellow eyes burned with the spirit of the forest. "Uhh..." Ice said. "I guess she looks like a forest cat. But what's up with her muzzle? Why does it look so...flat?" "Dunno," Flame meowed. "I was just born that way." "Well it's weird and it's kinda freaking me out!" Ice yelped. "This is off-topic. We need to focus on the task at paw." Torrent meowed. "Hey, how about we go to your old twoleg nest, Flame?" Lightning suggested. "We might find a kittypet there!" "Good suggestion," Torrent meowed. "Flame, did Starclan tell you about the cat's appearance?" "I'm not so sure..." Flame answered. "But I think I lived next to another twoleg nest, so there might be a kittypet there." "Great!" Lightning exclaimed. "Torrent, where did you meet Flame? It might help us find the kittypet." "In the central forest," Torrent told Lightning. "I saved her from a dog, so if we smell a dog, we're probably close to her twoleg nest." Flame was excited to show her sisters how much she had grown and that she could tear them to shreds, but she didn't want to be interrupted by Starclan again. The feeling of everything slowing down and not being able to control her own body was horrible. "Hey, Torrent, can I lead it this time, since I know the way?" Flame asked. "And if I suddenly start having one of those weird messages from Starclan, can you take the lead?" "Of course, Flame," Torrent accepted. And so, Flame walked out of the barn, Torrent, Lightning, and Ice following along. She opened her mouth, looking for the scent of a dog, but all she could smell was the scent of prey. Her mouth watered as she remembered that she hadn't eaten in days, but she brushed it off. There were better things to worry about. As Flame stepped onto the dew-speckled grass, she finally felt satisfied. She felt like this was her destiny. The blood of her warrior ancestors ran through her veins, and Flame felt more and more confident with each step. Her old twoleg nest wasn't her home, and it would never be, Flame's heart was in the forest. Finally, for once in her life, Flame felt like she was at her true home. Now it didn't matter whether her fur got wet, because she knew how to deal with that. In the forest, Flame found things she'd never think she'd ever find. She found friends, a true love, and a purpose. But something felt missing. Flame felt like something was off, like she was forgetting something, but she brushed it off as just an odd feeling. Her whole life had become odd after residing in the forest, so much so that it seemed normal. Flame had been so caught in thought that she had forgotten to check for the scent of a dog. She opened her mouth, and smelled something horrid. Something that smelled of crowfood and dirt. It was a dog, but it was closer than it needed to be. As a bark rang out in the forest, Flame's eyes widened. Oh Starclan, please help me... Flame thought. It's a dog... Chapter 7 The dog bounded towards the four cats. Flame tried to lunge towards the dog, but Starclan locked her in place. Starclan, ''She thought, ''why would you have to give me a message right at this time?! Everything became distorted and slow as Flame's life flashed before her eyes. She collapsed, convulsing and flailing helplessly. She was helpless as the dog sunk its teeth into her leg, letting blood flow freely from the wound. Before Torrent could do anything to save her, Flame's world slowly became starry and bright. "Ugh!" Flame growled. "What now? Why did you have to give me a message NOW?!" Yellowfang dipped her head and closed her eyes as a ginger cat, a grey cat, a tortoiseshell cat, and a blue-grey cat approached her. "You're so close to saving us, to restoring the clans," Yellowfang murmured. "We wanted to thank you," the blue-grey cat said. "For giving us hope," the tortoiseshell cat said. "For giving us peace," the grey cat said. "For saving us all," the ginger cat said. "Wait, so am I close to the next cat? Awesome!" Flame exclaimed. "But...what about the last cat?" Yellowfang chuckled. The blue-grey cat snickered a bit, but covered her mouth with her paw, trying to regain her dignity. The grey cat was in hysterics. "Flame, the 'last cat' is a literal forest," Yellowfang chuckled. "Spottedleaf wasn't being cryptic, she was telling you what you literally had to find." "Oh..." Flame felt embarrassed as she looked at her paws. Changing the subject, she said, "Well, why can't I just stay here?" "Because, Flame," Spottedleaf meowed. "This forest is ridden with blood-thirsty dogs. If you stay here, you'll be torn apart!" "Oh, okay," Flame replied. "Well, goodbye, Flame!" the five cats said in unison. "FLAAAAAAAAAME!!" Torrent screeched. She looked even more horrified than the last time. "W...Wha- OW!" Flame yelled as she felt a stabbing pain in her calf. "T-Torrent, what happened?" "Flame, we got attacked by a dog!" Torrent told Flame. "Luckily, Yoshi right here saved us." Flame turned her head towards a tortoiseshell cat with beautiful green eyes and a red collar. She looked just like Spottedleaf. This can't be a coincidence, ''Flame thought. ''All of the cats I've gathered together look just like all of the the cats from Starclan I've met! "Oh...Hi, Yoshi," Flame greeted. "You found her, Flame," Flame heard Yellowfang whisper in her ear. "Uhhh, w-would you come with us on a journey, Yoshi?" Flame asked. "Yes, of course!" Yoshi meowed. "I'll miss my owners, but I truly belong in the forest, I just know it!" "Alright, but you'll have to change your name," Torrent stated. "Okay! Umm..." Yoshi meowed. "Oh no! I don't know what to change it to!" "Umm...how about..." Flame suggested. She then saw a leaf over from the fence of Yoshi's backyard. "Uhh...Leaf?" Yoshi's eyes lit up. "Perfect!" Flame was happy that Leaf was so happy, but she couldn't shake the feeling that her friends and the Starclan cats she had met were linked in some way. Chapter 8 "So, we need to find our way to a forest other than Central Forest," Flame said. The five cats were back in the barn. "How do you know?" Ice asked. "Starclan told me," Flame replied. "They told me that Central Forest is full of nasty dogs, so we can't live there." "How do you know you weren't just having a weird dream while you were flailing around like a fish?" Ice asked. "Because everything felt so real!" Flame retorted. "Ice, have you realized that I've been collapsing and flailing right before I meet a new cat in the prophecy?" "Yeah, but-" Ice started to say. "And the fact that Flame has brought us all together proves Starclan's existence," Torrent interrupted. "Why else would she gather all of us up?" "I...Umm...Fine, it's real, I guess," Ice groaned. He hated being wrong. "Alright, everyone. Let's get going," Torrent meowed. "Flame, you lead the way." And with that, Flame left the barn. Torrent followed along calmly, Lightning and Leaf hopped up and down behind Torrent, and Ice was at the end of the line, grumbling. Flame was confident this time that Starclan wouldn't send her another message; she already found the three cats, and there were no other cats to find. All that was left to find was a forest, and the prophecy would be fulfilled at last. Starclan would be free! "Hey Ice," Lightning asked Ice. "Howsit feel being wrong?" Ice turned his head away from Lightning. "Lightning, I think you should be a bit nicer," Leaf remarked. "After all, Ice is one of us, right?" "Ugh, fine," Lightning sighed. "But-" "How about we stop arguing?" Torrent interrupted, looking into Lightning's pale, yellow eyes. "Yeah, I don't want to argue with Lightning, he's my friend!" Leaf added. "Okay, Torrent," Lightning meowed. "If you say so." As the cats strolled along, they saw plains and meadows, but no trees. It seemed like there was more horses and cows than lush greenery. Ice and Lightning soon became sluggish, bored, and impatient, and Leaf felt the same. Ice and Lightning was groaning audibly for all to hear, but Leaf kept her mouth shut, trying to stay polite. "Ugh!" Ice groaned. "Why can't Starclan make a forest pop up or something?" "I'm sorry, Ice, but Starclan doesn't work that way," Torrent meowed to Ice. "Forgiven...I guess," Ice replied. As Leaf was walking, she was looking for something to do. She looked around her to see if there was anything that could keep her occupied. As she looked around, she noticed a beautiful, green leaf. The leaf called out to her, and, with an amazing amount of agility, Leaf swatted at it. Flame walked ahead confidently, her grey fur shining in the sun and confidence in her heart. I can do this, ''Flame thought to herself. ''Everyone can. ''Flame then looked behind her to check on her friends. "Torrent, Lightning, Ice..." Flame mumbled to herself. "Hey, where's Leaf?" "I dunno," Lightning said. "Last time I saw her was when we started arguing." "I haven't seen here either," Torrent added. "Have you seen her, Ice?" "No, Torrent, sorry," Ice replied. "I mean, I didn't just say sorry." ''Oh Starclan... Flame thought to herself with a horrified expression on her face. Where is Leaf? Chapter 9 AUTHOR NOTE: A "water monster" is a ship. The meadow stood silent, an eerie haze in the air. Adrenaline pumped through Flame's veins as she wondered where Leaf was. If she met up with a dog, she would die, and Flame's group was only a small time away from the Central Forest. It would be easy to be killed out there. After all, Leaf didn't seem to have any experience in fighting and defending herself. "Everyone!" Flame yowled. "We must find Leaf! We cannot go on without her!" Lightning's eyes were wide and he was trembling with fear. "Yes!" he agreed. "We need to find her!" "Alright, follow me!" Flame yowled. Flame opened her mouth, trying to catch Leaf's scent. Leaf's scent still hung heavy in the air. She smelt of mint and catnip, two of Flame's favorite scents. She trotted in the grass, the scent guiding her. The scent got stronger and stronger as Flame walked through the long grass. "I think we're getting closer!" Flame yowled. As Flame trudged through the high grass, she felt herself fill with anxiety. She was getting closer to Leaf, yes, but what situation would Leaf be in? She could get hurt, and she had no way to defend herself, much less apply herbs to her wounds. What if she had stumbled upon a fox's territory, and was getting torn to shreds as she helplessly yowled for help? All the thoughts were horrible, absolutely painful to think about. What if Leaf DIED? Then the Starclan cats would be locked away in the stars forever, with no way to get any help. "Flame!" Torrent yowled. "It's Leaf! Snap out of it!" Flame jumped as soon as she heard Torrent's yowl. She stopped staring off into nothingness and looked in front of her. Leaf was in a wooden box full of fruit, being loaded onto a massive water monster. "Leaf!" Flame yowled. "It's us! Come here!" But Leaf was nearly catatonic, she was frozen in fear as a twoleg picked up the wooden box and loaded it onto the water monster. "LEAF!!" Flame screeched. Without thinking, Flame jumped into another wooden box. "Come on!" she yowled to the other cats. "We need to save Leaf!" The other cats hopped into the wooden box with Flame, and, without the twoleg realizing there was a bunch of cats in the wooden box, loaded them onto the water monster. Flame's heart thumped as she realized what she had just done. Oh no! ''She thought, horrified. ''I've just put my whole group in potential danger! And, as the twoleg closed the wooden box, Flame's world went pitch black. Chapter 10 "Stop, Ice! You're squishing me!" "No, you're squishing ME!" "Enough, you two! Lightning, Ice, just be quiet!" Flame's eyes slowly opened to a world of darkness. There wasn't that much space to move, as there were three other cats in the box with her. The feeling of three other cat squirming against her made her feel incredibly uncomfortable, like she was being squeezed into a hole that was way smaller than her. Albeit the fact that Ice and Lightning were so close to her, the fact that Flame could be near Torrent made her feel a bit more comfortable. "Flame?" Torrent asked. "Are you awake?" "Uhm," Flame meowed quietly and sheepishly. "yeah..." "Great!" Torrent replied. "Now we can get out of this thing! Everyone, kick!" All of the cats kicked with a lion's strength until the wooden box broke. "Alright, now we can save Leaf!" Torrent declared. Torrent ran into the box with enough force to break it open. Inside was a terrified Leaf, who looked small among the heaps of fruit in the wooden box. WIP Category:Fan Fictions